Safe by the Bells
by kira66
Summary: What would've happened if Harry and Ron were expelled after the flying car incident in second year? And what would've happened if they decided that being on their own after that would be better than facing their families? Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

"Ron. Ron. RONNY!" Harry bellowed as he yanked the covers off his slumbering friend. It took exactly fifteen minutes, every morning, to get Ron to leave the confines of his nice warm bed. "Bloody hell." He mumbled as he ran a hand through his disheveled dirty blonde hair.

Ron cracked a misty blue eye open and surveyed his surroundings. It appeared to still be dark outside. With a frown, he opened his other eye to get a good look at the person that drug him out of blissful sleep. "What? The house better bloody well be on fire." He grumbled and sat up.

"No." Harry curtly replied. "But I'd like not to be late for school one day in my life." He crossed his arms over his blue pajama clad chest. "You heard what Principle Chaucer said yesterday. If Mrs. Fredericks gives us another tardy, he's going to suspend us. This is our last year. I'd like to finish it here rather than somewhere else." He sat down on the edge of Ron's bed after his little speech.

"Oh...right. I remember. I don't like Chaucer. He's always trying to find one reason or another to get rid of us. Mich is late more than us and he hasn't gotten into any trouble. None at all." By this time Ron was up and getting dressed.

Once Harry saw that Ron was awake, he followed suit and dressed. "Mich's father practically owns the school, Ron. He's donated hundreds of thousands of dollars and built the new gym. I think it's safe to say that Mich isn't going to be getting into trouble anytime soon." He tossed his pajamas into the hamper. "I don't like him very much either." Harry frowned. "But he's all we've got." He said, sadly.

Ron sighed and tucked his hands into his blue jean pockets. "I miss Hogwarts." He said quietly and kicked at a book laying on the floor. "Don't you?" He looked over to his friend.

"Of course I do. But it's been five, almost six years, Ronny. Five years since they expelled us for flying your fathers enchanted car to Hogwarts. It's in the past and this, my friend, is the present." Harry glanced down at his watch. "And we've got to hurry." He grabbed his bag off the floor and slipped his arms into the strips, securing it to his back. It was heavy since he was taking four college level courses on top of his required classes.

Shaking his head, Ron also gathered his bag off the floor and mimicked Harry by securing it to his own back by way of the straps. His wasn't as heavy since he was taking only two college level courses compared to Harry's four. "I know that it's the past. But I still miss it. It was way better than this. I never knew how hard Muggle kids had it until I had to live and learn like one." He followed his friend out of the small apartment that they shared; stopping only to make sure the door was locked. He then fell in step with his friend. "Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against Salem Academy, but why did we have to come to America? There are all kinds of Muggle schools back in England, isn't there?" He glanced over at his abnormally silent companion.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes." He replied simply. "There are Muggle schools in England. But if you recall...we didn't exactly have permission to leave when we did. Actually, we were waiting for your mother to come by floo when we decided that sticking around might not be such a good idea. Not to mention hazardous to your health." Harry smiled at a passing girl. "Good morning, CeCe." He greeted before turning his attention back to Ron.

Harry would never forget Ron's frantic ramblings about how his mother was going to kill him. His red headed friend was literally shaking from head to toe. It was then that Harry suggested that they make themselves disappear. He was in no hurry to return to the Dursley's. He knew that they would punish him, severely, for getting kicked out of his 'freak' school.

So he and Ron mounted Harry's broom and left with nothing but their wands. They flew until exhaustion threatened to bring them crashing to the ground. They only rested when it was absolutely necessary.

Their first stop had been a branch office of Gringott's where Harry withdrew all but a few knuts from his account and had it turned into Muggle money. They then took the next floo transport, which happened to be to Salem, Massachusetts, out of England. They decided to settle there since it was close to the Magical community yet far enough away that they could live their lives as muggles in peace.

They had to blend in. So hair dyes were selected and applied. Ron's bright red hair soon faded to a mouse brown and Harry's hair went from black to a dirty blonde.

Haircuts were next. Ron settled on a short style that left enough for him to spike while Harry also went for the spiked look but left his hair long enough to cover his famous scar; he didn't want to take any chances that they'd be recognized. They didn't want or need any unwanted attention.

It was a bumpy start for the two of them. Ron was having a hard time adjusting to the muggle way of life. But Harry was patient and worked with the other boy until he got the hang of doing things the muggle way. Soon both boys were on their ways to fading into the crowd. This happened a little more quickly after a train they were taking upstate for the weekend, derailed and they were amongst only a handful of survivors. They easily formed a story about their parents being on that train. They also said that they didn't remember anything except their own names and a handful of other details about themselves. They were placed into the care of the state of Massachusetts. Where they were placed in a foster family of sorts. Their new family actually only consisted of one person. A man that was more than willing to be a father to the two boys.

"Are you even listening to me, Harry?" Ron roughly nudged his friend in the ribs with his elbow.

Blinking, Harry nodded. "Sorry, I zoned out there for a moment." He grumbled as he rubbed his ribs.

Ron raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "I asked you if you were going out for the soccer team or the baseball team this year, mate."

"I don't know. Coach Grayson wants me on to soccer team for my final year. He said that I could get one of those scholarships for it. I'd have to play a year or two in college but then I could drop the sport if I wanted to and concentrate entirely on my schooling. Besides, I'm not very good at baseball. What about you?" Harry trudged up the front stairs and into the big red brick building.

"If I do baseball, I know Coach Sanders will bench me the entire bloody season like last year. I played twice and only because two of his players got injured. Who bloody well cares if I'm good or not? He just doesn't like me. So I think soccer will suit me just fine. Coach Grayson wouldn't mind, would he?" Ron followed Harry down the hallway and into their home room. There was only a handful of kids there and they were a good fifteen minutes early for a change. Mrs. Fredericks, their home room teacher, wasn't even there yet. He dropped his bag onto the floor and slid into his seat.

"Mind? Ron, you're a brilliant soccer player. He isn't going to care. I bet he'll even be a bit glad to have you. He wants to win the state championship this year before he loses all his best players and doesn't get the chance again. There is a warm up practice after school today. Be there." Harry also dropped his bag and slid into his seat. With a yawn, he propped his head up on his hand. At least they weren't late today.

"Alright, mate. I'll meet you after sixth period then. By the gym? We can walk out to the field together." Ron had a smile on his tired face; one that reached his eyes.

Harry was beginning to daydream when he heard the door to the class room bang open. It startled him and he looked towards the door. "What the bloody hell was that?" He asked Ron.

Ron shrugged and looked towards the door. "Wind, maybe? Or a freshman wanting to score points with the upperclassmen?"

Raising an eyebrow, Harry chuckled. His mirth didn't last long as he watched the last person he ever thought he'd see again walk right into the class room. Dressed in muggle garments to top it all off. It would have been amusing if he wasn't busy sliding down in his seat, so that he was hidden behind Derrick, the boy sitting in front of him. He was also frantically smoothing down his bangs to cover up his scar.

"What are you...?" Ron trailed off as he followed Harry's gaze towards the door. "Bloody hell." He also slumped down in his seat and raised a hand up to the side of his face where he rested it. Shielding his face from view he whispered out of the side of his mouth towards Harry. "That sure in Merlin isn't Mrs. Fredericks."

"No. I would have to agree with you there, Ronny. That bloody well isn't Mrs. Fredericks." Harry whispered back and hoped to Merlin that they weren't spotted by the man standing in front of the room, surveying it; intently.


	2. Chapter 2

The man cleared his throat before taking a seat behind the teachers desk. At first he seemed to be at a loss for what he was supposed to do. But after a few seconds he opened the daily planner that was on the desk top and glanced over the information written there. He hadn't said a word since his arrival.

Harry glanced over at Ron from his slumped position. "When the bells ring, we'll go out the secondary door." He motioned with his head towards the door in the back of the class room.

"What is he doing here, Harry?" Ron hissed out after he nodded to Harry's plan. "Here of all places? And dressed like a muggle to top it all off? You can't tell me that this isn't odd." He kept his voice in a low whisper.

The daily planner was closed with a thud and long, thin fingers were rested upon it. Glancing around, dark eyes landed on a blonde haired girl in the front row. "You there. What is your name?" The strange man demanded in a thick English accent.

The girl in question looked away from her friends and towards the strange teacher. She gave him an incredible look before answering. "Mindy Green. What happened to Mrs. Fredericks?" She ventured, bravely.

The man scowled in distaste. "Your...teacher...is out with an illness. I can assure you that she will return at a later date, Ms. Green." He was silent for a moment. "Those two, in the back, who are they?" He motioned towards the only two slouched students who were obviously whispering back and forth.

Mindy spun around in her chair to try and pick out who he was motioning towards. Once she spotted the targets, she turned back around. "Jamie and Will, you mean? They are the ones out of uniform. Don't be concerned about that. They never wear it."

"Jamie and Will? Do they have last names or were they graced with simple minded parents?" The teacher sneered.

"Jamie Patton and Will Westinghouse." Mindy seemed to be startled by the comment and thanked God that she didn't have Chemistry or Physics with Mrs. Fredericks this semester. That meant that she wouldn't have to see this rather rude teacher in anything except home room.

"Patton and Westinghouse?" He let his dark eyes move towards the two boys once again. " Isn't there some kind of punishment for that?" He asked, offhandedly. To say that Severus Snape wasn't happy about his current assignment would have been an understatement. This was the fifth muggle school that Albus had requested that he check out. The first four turned out to be a bust and now the fifth one was looking that way as well. "Thank you for your help, Ms. Green." He grudgingly said before letting his eyes scan the assembled students. Merlin, he hated muggles.

"Eh...not a problem." Mindy replied before turning back to her friends and trying to ignore the odd substitute teacher.

Both boys didn't have to wait long for the bells; ten minutes to be exact. At the sound of the first bell, Ron and Harry picked their bags up off the floor and rested them on their desks. A few minutes later a second bell sounded and they both rushed out the secondary door and disappeared into the crowd of students in the hallway.

Out of the six classes that they attended, daily. Ron and Harry only shared English, Physics, Calculus, and World History. They were separated by Harry taking U.S. History and Philosophy while Ron opted for Gym and Speech Communication; the easiest classes the school had to offer.

Harry managed to forget about the sudden appearance of their old potions professor as the day wore on. He liked school and found that most of his classes weren't that difficult. And if he did have problems, the teachers were more than willing to help him out. He actually found himself in a pretty decent mood. His mood would have plummeted during Physics except that he happened to be paired up with one of his best friends, Mitchell Rothschild. Ron had decided to pair up with a girl that he liked. They both managed ignored Snape who had them copying an entire chapter out of their Physics books.


	3. Chapter 3

Ron stood, leaning against the wall. Sixth period had just ended and now he was watching the students make their way to their buses. "What took you so long?" Ron asked once he catch sight of his friend.

Blinking, Harry shrugged. "Philosophy ran over, again. You know Mr. Dawson. He is very passionate about what he teachers. How was gym?" He noted Ron's wet hair.

"We played dodge ball!" Ron, exclaimed, excitedly. He loved dodge ball. It was his favorite muggle game. Then he switched topics. "Snape looked a little flustered in class today. I do believe that he doesn't have the first clue about teaching normal kids."

Harry chuckled and nodded in agreement. "I agree. I think Mr. Fletcher could have taught us more. At least his assignments are interesting and we learn things. I wonder why they didn't get him to fill in for Mrs. Fredericks. I mean, copying an entire chapter? Give me a break."

"If you have a problem with my teaching skills, Mr. Patton, please take it up with me." Snape had been leaving the building when he catch his name being mentioned by Patton and Westinghouse. There was something about these two that got on his nerves. They had been quiet in class and didn't make any trouble. But still, something wasn't right. He could feel it.

Ron blinked and averted his gaze to the floor. Something about the man made him feel like a first year being scolded. But he didn't offer an apology. It was Snape's fault that he and Harry got expelled in the first place.

Keeping his face neutral, Harry moved to stand beside his friend. He wasn't about to be bullied by this man. Not here. There was nothing he could do but give him detention. And he was no stranger to detention. "Actually, I do have a problem with you _skills_. What exactly were we meant to learn by copying the entire chapter? One, I might add, that we completed two months ago? I'll tell you what, nothing. We learned nothing! It was a wasted class period!"

Severus eyed the boy with immense dislike. "Well then, Mr. Patton. You do not agree with my teaching methods?" After receiving a nod, he continued. "I do not like the tone of voice that you used so...detention...for a week...both of you. I think that will teach you some respect for your teachers. And tomorrow we'll copy _three _chapters and I'll be sure to give you two...ample credit for the idea."

Ron blinked and his mouth dropped open. "You can't do that!" His voice raised, drawing curious looks from several passing by students. "I...you...UNFAIR!" He managed to get out through clenched teeth. His hands were balled up into fists and he was shaking with unreleased anger. Snape had some nerve.

Snape continued to irritate the two boys. "Unfair? What is unfair is that I was called in at the last minute to teach you...hooligans. I was given no time to prepare. So that is the reason why I had you copying the chapter." It was partially the truth. He did have no time to prepare but it wasn't because he was called in at the last minute, it was because he had no idea how to teach muggle classes. And Albus was more positive than ever that they would find their two missing students here. So here is where Snape was sent.

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Hooligans? If you don't like kids, you shouldn't be teaching!" He snapped out and crossed his arms over his chest.

Ron glanced at Harry then gave Snape an innocent smile. "Are you finished? We have practice to get to." He really did want to be away from Hogwarts Potions Master.

"No. I think you both will come with me." Snape grabbed the boys by their collars and lead them into the principles office where he forced them to sit in the two visitors chairs. He took up position behind them and waited for the bald man behind the fancy desk to look up and acknowledge them.


	4. Chapter 4

Principle Edward Chaucer looked up after he finished reading over the papers on his desk. The sight that greeted him wasn't surprising. He folded his hands in front of him and eyed the two boys then the teacher. "What have they done now?" What did surprise him was that it wasn't the entire Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack was a gang of sorts that Jamie and Will belonged too. It also included Mitchell 'Mich' Rothschild and his sister Frankie. Actually, it would more closely be described as a close knit group of friends that liked to have fun at the expense of most of the teaching stuff and half the student body. They got their name from identical wolf tattoo's that they all bore on their right arms. Several teachers took to calling them the wolf pack so they kept it.

Severus kept his face emotionless. "They got...mouthy with me. I wish them to be written up."

Chaucer sighed and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you two? I know you like to play the occasional prank but mouthing back to a teacher is very serious." He turned and pulled out one of his desk drawers and withdrew two files. He looked through both of them. After a few minutes he looked back up. "I'm going to have to call Doc Blair, boys. I'm sorry."

Ron frowned. "We didn't even do anything wrong, sir." He mumbled and glanced at his friend. "Don't go bothering Doc over this." He almost pleaded.

"He's not even in the country right now. This really isn't anything to call him home for. We'll accept any other form of punishment instead." Harry's eyes pleaded with the principle to consent.

Blinking, Snape listened to the boys almost hidden pleas. This was something to check into. He made a mental note to check into one Doc Blair.

The Principle was silent as he thought. "Alright. I think you're correct. This is nothing to call him home for. This is your last year and I know it's rather stressful, so I'll let you both off on a warning. But if I hear another complaint, I will have to call him. Where is here this time, anyways?" The man was curious. He knew that the boys guardian traveled a lot and he was always amazed by some of that places that he visited.

"England, sir. He's meeting with several new clients. After that he's flying to India where he'll be staying through Christmas." Harry replied, politely.

"He said that if we wanted, we could join him in India for Christmas." Ron said, quietly. They had traveled to several countries and seen amazing things since Doc Blair became their guardian, a few months after their arrival in America. He glanced down at his watch then back to the principle. "Do you think we could be excused. We're already late for Soccer practice."

Snape couldn't believe what he was hearing. The boys were only getting off with a warning. He sighed. At least his detention would hold up.

"Run along then." Chaucer said with a small smile. One the boys left, he turned his attention back to Snape. "It's been a long time, Severus. I was more than a little shocked to receive your request to join the facility for a short time."

"Yes, well..." He trailed off. "Headmaster Dumbledore seems to think that two of...misplaced...students are currently attending school here." Snape replied as he sat down in one of the chairs just recently vacated by the boys.

Chaucer was silent for a moment as he put the boys' files back away. "Misplaced? Well, I can't say that I've heard that term used to apply to students before but I guess there is a first time for everything." He folded his hands on his desk again. "You don't think Jamie and Will are these students do you?"

"I'm not sure. The first time I saw them, this morning, I thought that it might be possible. But now...I'm not so sure. They look and act differently from what I remember, I'm afraid." Snape's tone was snarly and sarcastic.

"Ah. They weren't Slytherin students, were they?" He shook his head and leaned back in his chair, straightening his suit jacket in the process. "I think you'll find that you're mistaken about those two. They've been with us for..." He stopped to calculate in his head. "Five or six years, I believe. After the accident, they were placed into the custody of the state and then with Doc Blair and have been with us ever since."

"Accident?" This had peaked Snape's curiosity. "What sort of accident?" He ignored the question about them being Slytherin students.

"One that took the lives of their families, I'm afraid. It was a train derailment. The boys were two of the five survivors. It was so traumatic that they only remembered their own names and that their parents had been onboard." Chaucer said, sadly. "It was a tragic day for Salem."

"Was their story ever proven to be true?" Snape questioned after a moment of silence.

"It was proven the best it could be. The bodies of the victims were all badly twisted and some were burnt beyond recognition. Jamie and Will were young so a temporary foster family was sought out for them. Doc Blair took them in. He always wanted children but never had time to do it the proper way. So he took them in. They were never subjected to the horror of the aftermath of the accident. Their pictures were sent to local papers and shown on the news but no one came forward to claim them. So it was just assumed that their parents did die on the train. The only thing that really could confirm their story would be if they ever got their memories back. And it's highly unlikely that will ever happen." The principle finished. "Their both good kids. They get into trouble here and there but what seventeen year old boy doesn't? Muggles aren't that different from wizards when it comes to growing up."

"I wouldn't know about muggles, Edward." Snape snapped out then sighed. "Are you sure that they are muggles and not wizards?" He was slightly more sure now than he was before about those two. It was just something in his gut that was telling him that it was them.

"I've never seen them do or say anything magical. I don't think anyone else had either. Nothing has been brought to my attention. Like I said, their good kids. Top of their classes, even looking forward to college. Just like normal muggles their age. But I don't see them outside of school, except on a rare occasion at the grocery store. They could be doing magic at home." Edward shrugged and looked down at his watch. "I should be getting home. My wife is making corn beef for dinner, my favorite." He stood. "If it turns out to be them...is it utterly important that you rip them out of their lives here? I assume that is what you're going to do? Take them back to England with you? The two 'misplaced' students must have left for a reason. Forcing them to go back would only push them into making them leave again. Take a good look at them out at the soccer field when you leave and tell me that it's fair to them. Good day to you, Severus." He walked out of his office, leaving Snape alone with his thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

Both boys walked home in silence. Practice ended fifteen minutes ago and they just got through talking to Coach Grayson. He was more than thrilled to have Will or Ron, as everyone called him, joining the team. He remembered the boy playing in his freshman year and he was very good. They were sure to make it to the playoffs this year.

"Why do you think Snape is here, Harry?" Ron whispered out as they padded down the sidewalk towards their apartment.

"Hm?" Harry turned towards his friend and blinked. "Oh, I assume that Snape is here to find us. We've been here for five years. That was more than I had ever hoped for. We never expected to be left alone this long. We've been lucky."

"I don't want to go back, Harry. We don't belong there anymore. Sure, I miss Hogwarts but like you said this morning, that was the past. I like it here. We're...normal." Ron sighed and shoved his hands into his jean pockets.

"He shouldn't be here long, I imagine. All we have to do is lay low and hope that he leaves." Harry suggested as he pulled out his key and unlocked their front door. Stepping inside, Harry tossed his bag onto their only couch and plopped down beside it.

Ron dropped his bag to the floor, beside the door, and sat down on one of the reclining chairs that sat in the living room. He sighed and placed his head into his hands. "Why now, Harry? Why look for us now, if that is what they are doing?"

Harry eyed his friend. "I really have no idea. It could be for a number of reasons like...Professor Dumbledore decided that it was time that he know where we are or maybe your parents pushed to have you found." He shrugged. The possibilities were absolutely endless. "Snape might just be here doing research on muggles for all we know. So relax and don't get yourself all worked up over this, Ronny." His lips twitched at the nickname he used for his friend. He was the only one allowed to call him Ronny, others ended up with a black eye or bloody nose.

Rolling his eyes, Ron sat back in the chair. He was tired and needed a shower. "Alright then. Relax? Hm...How about we shower, change and then head out for a night on the town? It's the weekend so we can afford a little partying. I say that we deserve it." His mind was made up.

After a few minutes of thinking, Harry nodded his head in agreement. "I agree. We do deserve it." He stood up and stretched his arms over his head and sighed in relief with each crack and pop that he felt. "You can take the shower first." He gave his friend a bright smile before trudging down the hall and into their shared bedroom; yes they share a room but there are two beds for all you pervs out there with your minds in the gutter.

Ron smiled and bolted down the hall after Harry and into their only bathroom. He shut the door with a bang and proceeded to wash away the days dirt and grim from soccer practice. When he emerged, his hair was dripping wet and he only had a towel wrapped around his waist. "It's all yours." He said to Harry as he stepped into the bedroom. Waiting until Harry had left for the bathroom, he dressed. His outfit was simple. It consisted of a pair of loose fitting black jeans and a silver and gold silk button down shirt.

Harry left the warm water relax his sore and tense muscles. Quickly, he dried off and dressed in the clothes that he in carried with him. His outfit was the same as Ron's except for the shirt. His button down silk shirt was silver and blue. He used the gel to spike up his hair but was careful to leave a few strands hanging down over his scar. There was no taking chances tonight. Stepping out of the bathroom, he looked towards the bedroom. "You ready?" It was a bit early to be partying but they knew of several clubs around town that started early.

Hearing Harry, Ron exited the bedroom. "I am ready to party." This was his favorite phrase but it also sounded funny coming from him; his accent had faded, considerably, during his time in America but some words were still pronounced very British-like.

"Don't quit your day job." Harry teased before slapping Ron on the back, good humored. The whole Snape situation was forgotten...for now. "So where should we go? The Witches Brew or Broomsticks?" These were all muggle clubs but being in Salem compelled the owners to stick with the tradition of the town.

"Broomsticks. We did Brew last time and it was rather boring. Even the band was falling asleep." Ron mumbled as he grabbed his jacket and checked the pocket for his cell phone; a gift both boys received last Christmas from Doc.

Harry also grabbed his jacket and also checked for his cell phone. Doc made sure that the boys had all the latest and greatest toys on the market. "Broomsticks it is then." On his way out the door, he began to think about Doc and how great he was to them.

Being the CEO of a big name company afforded Doc the luxury of spoiling his two _sons_. They always had everything they needed and even everything that they didn't. His gifts didn't come in just items. He sent the boys on trips all over the world so that they would be very informed in making decisions dealing with the world. He was always with them on holidays and birthdays even if he had to fly them to whatever country he was currently staying in. They had their own apartment that was just minutes away from Salem Academy, their private school. He sustained them and enjoyed doing it. Doc Blair loved being a dad. His sons were great. Both boys reminded him of his younger self. And he had a surprise for them this year. Something that would surpass every other gift that he had ever gotten them; even the private flying lessons.

* * *

The night found the two boys sitting at a booth in the back of Broomsticks. Both boys were nursing drinks; that their fake ID's had afforded them. 

"I say that we fight him." Ron banged his empty shot glass onto the wooden table top. This had been his fourth shot of the muggle drink tequila and he was a little more than drunk.

Harry eyed his friend and raised an eyebrow. "Sure Ronny, we'll fight him." Harry hadn't consumed as much alcohol as Ron but he was still tipsy. After a few moments of silent Harry began to speak again. "How are we going to fight him?" It was a logical question for Harry to ask in his state of mind.

"Well..." Ron blinked and scratched his head. "I really don't know mate. Pitchforks? Magic?" He motioned towards a waitress who brought him another shot of tequila.

"Hm, we're all out of pitchforks and we don't know any magic." Harry whispered as he leaned back into the soft leather cushion of the booth. "I bet we couldn't even do the first year spells that we were taught. Squids. That's what we are. Nothing but squids." He muttered and took a sip of his beer. He didn't have anything against the fancy drinks that Ron liked to order, he just liked the taste of beer better.

"That is bloody unfair. I don't want to be a squid. I really don't want that many arms I like having just two." Ron moaned after he downed his newest shot. He pushed the glass away then, finished, knowing that tomorrow he was going to have a killer hangover. "We didn't even do anything wrong then. Stupid house elf. Stupid Snipe...eh...Snape!" He grumbled and rested his head in his hands.

Harry narrowed his eyes and looked across the smokey room."Not squids." He mumbled absentmindedly. "I meant squibs. You know, those born to magical parents but aren't magical themselves." His eyes began to water. He hated smoke since it made his eyes itch. And with contacts in, ones that made his eyes a dull green almost grey, he couldn't scratch them. He could have sworn that someone was watching them. "Maybe we should go home, Ron." He glanced down at his watch and tried to make out the time. After several minutes he decided that it was a little after one in the morning. They had been there for a little over seven hours.

"Maybe we should." Came Ron's muffled response since he was now resting face down on the table. "I'm not feeling so good, Harry."

"I told you not to overdo it." Harry slid out of the other side of the booth and helped Ron stand. Both of them swaying. "Lucky for us that we live in walking distant." He helped Ron stagger towards the door but before they exited, he threw down a wad of bills onto the bar counter to cover their tab. "Goodnight" He replied to the bar keep whom they both knew. Grumbling under his breath, Harry pulled Ron away from the coat rack, in which he was in the process of propositioning, and out the doors. They never noticed the three sets of eyes watching them from across the smokey room.

* * *

"Are you sure that was them, Severus?" Minerva McGonagall asked as she leaned over to be heard over the music. She grimaced from the volume once she up righted herself. An eyebrow went up in faint amusement as she watched one of the boys engage one of the coat racks in conversation. Could these two really be her missing Gryffindors? Having watched them all night, she was sure that they weren't. 

"I am more than positive." Snape snapped as he took a sip of his cold tea. He sneered at a passing couple who let their eyes linger on the odd group a little too long for his comfort.

"Just like you were positive in Ireland, then?" McGonagall hissed out. She was tired and had a headache that would have made Merlin cringe.

"Those two turned out to be wizards, regardless if they were the ones we were looking for or not." Severus sat his cup down a little hard and some of the tea slushed over the side and onto the table. "We did save the Irish Ministry a lot of trouble later on since the boys were both unregistered and highly prone to accidental magic usage." He grumbled as he wiped the tea off his hand with a napkin.

McGonagall just shook her head. "I'm so glad that we were able to help the Irish Ministry, that's all that really matters here. It wasn't a secret that you despised the boy for being a Potter. You let your hatred of James cloud your judgement on Harry. And your dislike for the Weasley's isn't a secret either. Ever since the Bill played that voice changing prank on you, you've been dead set against them. If you would have just left the past in the past...none of this would have happened. Both boys would be safely tucked away at Hogwarts not out there somewhere, unprotected!" She motioned with her arm to make her point.

Before Severus could retort, their bickering was interrupted by their third companion.

"Minerva, Severus, please. You're drawing attention to yourselves." Came the grandfatherly voice of Albus Dumbledore who had been silent until now. "We are here to find our two missing Gryffindors not to fight amongst ourselves. Your concern is duly noted, Minerva. I know how much you care for the students of your house. We might not have had Ronald and Harry long, but they were a big part of Gryffindor." He patted her arm, comfortingly. "Now, shall we go pay a visit to Jamie and William?" His eyes were twinkling brightly.

"As much as I wish to be proven correct, I think that the late hour would warrant us to wait until later in the day to approach them. Showing up now, would surely spook them, if they are who we are searching for, to run or even call the...muggle law enforcers on us."

"Too right you are, my boy. Too right. So shall we retire until a later hour?" Albus stood with a smile on his face. He, like Severus, was sure that Jamie and William were really Harry and Ron. He would know a Potter and a Weasley anywhere. He escorted his two Professors outside where they all three apparated back to where they were staying.

They started searching for the boys shortly after discovering them missing. But each new tip they received, turned out to be a bust. At first they thought they had been captured by Death Eaters and taken to Voldemort but Snape quickly proved that to be false.

Voldemort wasn't in any condition, then, to even consider searching for the Potter boy. But now he was more than hell bent on finding the them, and to the horror of Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, and recruiting them to his side. Years ago that wouldn't have been thought possible but now, that the boys had been away from the magical world for so long and had left by choice, anything was considered possible. It was safe to say that the magical world no longer knew Harry James Potter and Ronald Bilus Weasley. So nothing could be assumed or let to chance.

Summers were the easiest on the search party but they didn't stop during the school year. During this time, the remaining teaching staff, left at Hogwarts, would keep an eye on things while the Headmaster, Deputy Headmistress and Potions Professor, continued on the weekends with their search; much to the disdain of one Severus Snape who wanted nothing more than to forget that those two brats ever existed.


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing that Harry noticed when he opened his eyes was the throbbing of his head. With a groan, he snapped his eyes back shut. It was too bright. Wait, too bright? One eye opened again and darted from side to side trying to determine why it was so bright. The bedroom that he shared with Ron wasn't this bright, ever. Raising his head, Harry tried to get a better look at his surroundings; this was a bad idea. The pounding in his head increased and he shifted, trying to get the pain to stop. But the only thing he got was a mouth full of floor; he shifted right off the living room couch that he was sprawled on. "Great." He mumbled into the floor. "Bloody hell." He pushed himself up, until he was leaning against the couch. "Ron?" He, slowly, turned his head from side to side trying to locate his friend. "Ronny?" He tried again but was met with silence. He let his eyes drift shut once again when his stomach threatened to rebel against his movements.

Ron groaned, hearing his name but he couldn't bring himself to answer. He felt like death or rather he wished he was dead. His head was pounding and his mouth tasted like cotton. "Wha..." He placed his hands on the side of his head and winced at his own voice; he thought it was very loud. Blinking, slowly, he managed to get himself set up right. "How did I...?" He trailed off and crawled out of the closet. Looking down at his feet, once he got himself standing, he sighed. "Now where has my shoe gotten to?" He stumbled down the hall in search of Harry. Finally, he found him in the living room. "Do you know where my shoe is?" He asked, stupidly.

Harry winced at the loudness of Ron's voice and covered his ears. "I'm not talking to you until you stop yelling." He whispered out and managed to pull himself up onto the couch. "Your shoe?" He tilted his head to look over at his friend, who was indeed, missing one of his shoes. "I dunno. You had it last night, didn't you?" He could barely remember last night so that meant that Ron probably couldn't remember anything about it. He climbed to his feet and trudged into the kitchen where he proceeded to make a pot of strong black coffee, as quietly as possible.

"Last night?" Ron scratched his head. "I don't leave the house without shoes on so...yes. I did have them both last night." He followed after Harry and plopped down on one of their kitchen chairs, cradling his head in his hands. "I just don't have them both now."

"Obviously." Harry mumbled as he handed Ron the first cup of coffee and then poured himself a cup. Sipping on it, he sighed. "Well...where did you come from? Maybe it's there?" He took another sip of the potently strong coffee.

Blowing the steam from the coffee, Ron took a sip, wincing at the overbearing taste. "Hall closet." He felt his cheeks heat up knowing that he wasn't going to live this down.

"The hall closet?" Harry finished his cup and pushed it away. He felt a little better, his head was now only sporting a dull throb. "What were you doing in there?"

Ron squinted his eyes, trying to remember. "Eh...I don't remember. But I think it had something to do with...painting something." He shrugged and pushed his empty cup away. "Thanks for the coffee, Harry. What would I do without you?" He gave his friend a weak smile.

"Suffer. You'd suffer without me since you haven't the slightest clue how to make coffee. You insist upon drinking tea. Really, you should widen your pellet. Coffee is very good with a spot of milk and sugar. Black only tastes good for hangovers." Harry stood and carried the two empty cups to the sink where he rinsed them out. "What time is it, anyways?" He reached into the cupboard above his head and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. Opening it, he swallowed three before offering the bottle to Ron.

The doorbell rang, making both boys wince from the loud echo of bells. The previous owners of the apartment were very religious so the doorbell was designed to mimic church bells. Very loud and even louder when you were nursing a hangover.

Ron glanced down at his watch which was very blurry. "Um. One thirty six, in he afternoon." He let his arm drop back to his side. "Who would be bothering us on a Saturday?" He took the bottle and emptied four of the pills out onto his hand. He tossed them into his mouth and swallowed them. "Thanks mate."

Harry stepped past Ron and started down the hallway towards the door. "Maybe Jehovah witnesses?" A smirk formed on his lips. "Your welcome, Ron." He loved to freak those people out. "You want these ones?"

Shaking his head, Ron stood and followed. "I had the last ones. I thought for sure that they wouldn't be coming back after that." He couldn't help but smirk at the memory. He wouldn't ever forget the looks on their faces when he answered the door wearing nothing but his socks. "Go on then. Let's see what you got." He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the living room wall to watch.

Nodding, Harry stopped at the door. "Who is it?" He waited but no one answered. The doorbell was rung again and then again. Rolling his eyes, he put his hand on the door knob. "They must be the deaf ones."

"Probably blind too." Ron added. "They are bound and determined to save our souls."

"True. I'd send someone blind too. No one really wants to see your naked arse." Harry yanked the door open and put his hand up to block the sun. "Can I help you?" He squinted his eyes to try and bring whoever it was on their door step into focus. This was made difficult since his contacts were dried out and beginning to burn. He'd had to change them before long or risk an eye infection. He could barely make out the shapes of three people.

"I believe that you can, Mr. Patton." Came the voice from the oldest of the trio.

The voice sounded familiar but Ron couldn't place it so he stepped up behind his friend and peered over his shoulder. "Whatever you're selling, we don't want any."

"I can assure you that we are not selling anything, Mr. Westinghouse." Severus Snape ground out. He wanted to be any place but here.

Harry froze. Like Ron, he was trying to place the first voice but he definitely knew the second one. "Mr. Snape?" He finally managed to bring the three people into focus. The first that he saw and to whom the first voice belonged to was an elderly man with a long white beard. The second person was Snape, obviously, and the third was a elderly woman wearing beady little eye glasses that sat perched on her nose. "It's Saturday. There isn't any classes today." Was all he managed to get out once the shock wore off.

"Snape!" Ron stepped back. "Wha...What are you doing here? Our Physics chapter will be copied and placed on your desk first thing Monday morning. No need to make a house call." This was the last bunch of people that he thought would be on their door step on a Saturday afternoon. He didn't recognize the other two, older, people.

"May we come in?" Dumbledore asked in amusement as he watched both boys reaction to them being there. They both appeared confused as to what they should do.

"Come in?" Harry parroted. "Come in here?" Blinking, he shook his head. "I don't think so." He moved so that his whole body was blocking the doorway. "We don't let strangers in." He added.

"Ya." Ron also shifted so that he was blocking the doorway. "We'd be out of our minds if we just left you waltz right in. We're not stupid. We don't even know who you are."

"I can assure you that we mean you no harm." Dumbledore was taken back by their refusal to let them in. "We just want to talk."

"I'm sorry. I really think you should leave." Harry started to shut the door only to have a foot stop the door from shutting.

"We will not leave, you insolent boy." Snape spat out but refused to remove his foot.

"I suggest you get off our property before we call the police." Ron was already pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He was still fully dressed, in the same clothes as the night before minus a shoe.

"No need for that." The elderly woman spoke up. Her voice was just as gentle as the elderly man but held a no nonsense tone to it. "We don't want any trouble." McGonagall turned to Headmaster and Potions Professor. "Come along." She started down the walk way and towards the street.

"This is not over, Patton." Severus turned and followed Minerva, if he was wearing his robes, they would be bellowing out behind him; efficiently making him look like a giant bat. But since he wasn't, he could do nothing but hold his head high; in a dignified manner.

"Very well. We will speak again soon." Dumbledore's eyes never lost their twinkle and his smile never faded. He just turned and followed after his two colleagues.

Harry watched them until they disappeared from sight. With a sigh, he closed the door and leaned his head against it. "That was close, Ron. Too close." He mumbled. His voice muffled by the door.

"I'm not feeling so well now. I think I need to lay down." Ron turned and headed for their bedroom. Once inside, he slipped off his jacket and tossed it to the floor. Then he fell, face forward, onto his bed. His shoe was later discarded and he drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

Harry frowned as he turned, just in time, to catch the retreating form of his friend. "This is just bloody great." He grumbled. His headache was back and it felt like it brought friends. "The more the merrier." He sighed as he closed the window blinds and fell backwards onto the couch. He removed hi contacts and laid them onto the end table. Then he flung an arm over his eyes and willed his body to relax. Soon he surrendered to the world of dreams.

* * *

Meanwhile elsewhere Snape was in a very foul mood. They boys were in their grasp and they just left them go. "The old fool." He grumbled as he paced the small room like a caged animal. "What if they run again? I will not waste another five years of my bloody life on them." 

"If they run again, we will find them." Albus Dumbledore said from the doorway of Severus's room. "I know that you didn't get along with young Mister Potters father but that was in the past. The boy is not his father. We had no choice but to leave. We were making them nervous and I can't say that I blame them for feeling that way. They've been away for so long; we scare them. We are a threat to the lives that they have, obviously, worked hard to build. And if this was any other time, I would leave them be. But alas, it is not. You should understand that more than I. The boys are not safe on their own and I ask you, for your sake as much as theirs, that you let the past rest. At least for now." With that, he left the brooding man to his thoughts.

Minerva McGonagall frowned as she sipped her cup of tea. She didn't even look up as she began to speak. "I cannot believe that is Harry and Ronald. I have known the Weasleys for many years; having taught a few generations of them myself. Will...Ron...doesn't even look or act like the boy that I remember. And his friend, I can't believe that he is the same boy that we left with the Dursley's those many years ago, he looks nothing like his father now. They've both changed so much, Albus."

"Yes, they have. It's called growing up, my dear Professor McGonagall. We all have to do it sometime. I'm afraid that they had to do it sooner rather than later." Dumbledore seated himself across from her in a large fluffy red chair. "Ron is his own person now. He won't ever have to be in his brothers shadow. And Harry, he's found friendship and a bond that I don't think will ever be broken. Just like his father did. He might not have James' looks anymore but he got his spirit. I think his mother would be proud of that." He fell silent and just stared into the fire thinking of a young black haired child who stopped Voldemort from getting the Sorcerers stone and a young red haired child who played the best game of chess Hogwarts had seen in years. A soft sigh escaped from his lips. Remembering was bittersweet.


	7. Chapter 7

"He just showed up at your house?" Was the first thing out of Mitchell 'Mich' Rothschild's mouth when he leaned about what had happened to his friends on Saturday.

"Mr. Snape? The substitute filling in for Mrs. Fredericks?" Francesca 'Frankie' Rothschild questioned, having to pipe in on the conversation going on at their lunch table.

"Yes!" Ron yelled out once he swallowed the bite of meatball hoagie he had in his mouth. "Snape. The git that has us copying chapters out of our Physics books."

The two Rothschild siblings shared an amused look with each other. They knew that Jamie and Will were from England, originally. But it was still amusing to hear them slip back into their old accents. This didn't happen often and when it did, they were usually very annoyed or angry.

"What? We're not crazy." Harry mumbled as he shook his box of chocolate milk, opened it, and took a sip. "It was Saturday afternoon. And I think..." He trailed off then looked down at his half eaten lunch. "I think he was at Broomsticks on Friday. I swear that someone was watching us the entire time."

"Now that's just creepy." Mich replied with a look of disgust on his face. "Is he stalking you two? I bet he's one of those perverts who likes boys or something." The look on his face grew serious.

"Guys, this is serious. He could be dangerous. Did you tell anyone?" Frankie added as she pushed her untouched salad away and stared at her two friends.

"Who are we going to tell? Principle Chaucer? We all know how much he likes Harry and I." Ron snapped back, sarcastically then sighed. "Sorry." He then mumbled an apology.

Frankie rolled her eyes. "I never suggested Chaucer. But what about your dad? I know that he'd care."

"Doc isn't even in the country. We can't just call him up and out of the blue tell him that we might have a stalker. What could he do from where he's at?" Harry finished his milk, crushed the carton with his hand, and tossed it onto his tray.

"Lots can be done. If we're in trouble and dad is out of the country, we call him up and he fixes it." Mich finished his hamburger and pushed his tray away.

"Your dad is a lawyer, Mich. Of course he can fix it." Ron just rolled his eyes. "He has lackeys that stay in the States when he is out of the country on business. All he has to do is call one of them and they handle it. Doc isn't a lawyer. He's the CEO of Fleur and Sanders. His lackeys are all nerds that deal with...finance and customer service. A lot of help they would be to us. I can see the headlines now; Financial Advisor beats up Pervert for stalking CEO's kids."

Harry snickered and shook his head. "Ron's right. I don't think Doc can help us on this. At least not while he's out of the country. If he comes home to visit, we'll be sure to explain the situation to him."

"Well then, what about our dad? He likes you two and I'm sure he'd help." Mich offered. And he was right. His father, Franklin Rothschild, did like his childrens friends. He was always inviting them along on skiing trips to the Alps or scuba diving in the Bahamas.

Frankie stared at her brother. She was well aware of her fathers fondness for Jamie and Will but she never knew that Mich noticed it as well. "He's right, you know? Our dad adores you two. Sometimes, I think he has four kids instead of two."

Harry seemed to consider this and after recieving a nod from Ron, smiled. "If it isn't any bother...could you maybe mention our situation to him and see what he says?" That would be one way to get Snape and the others out of their lives.

"Bother?" Mich snorted and leaned back on his chair. "He'll jump at the chance to help you." He wasn't jealous of his fathers affection towards the other boys. It wasn't a secret that Franklin wanted more than two children but his wife died before that could happen. He also knew that Doc wasn't around much and his friends liked being around a father figure. He viewed them as brothers anyways; they all were very close. "I'll ask him tonight when we get home."

Frankie caught sight of the subject of their conversation and frowned. The man really did look threatening. He was wearing all black, which made his pale skin even more pasty looking. His hair was shoulder length and greasy. A shiver shot down her spine when she locked eyes with Snape. She felt herself falling into those black eyes but at the last minute, she gasped and jerked her gaze back to her brother and friends. Swallowing, she wrapped her arms around herself, protectively. There was definitely something creepy about that man. Something that made her skin crawl.

"Are you alright, Frankie?" Ron noticed that she was trembling.

"Fine. I'm fine, Will" Frankie murmured, absentmindly. She never referred to him by his nickname of 'Ron.' The same when with Jamie. She never called him 'Harry.' She was one of the few that used their first names but she didn't care and they didn't seem to mind. "I'm just a little chilly." She would do everything in her power to make sure that her father helped her friends. They were like brothers to her and she didn't want to see either of them hurt.

The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. They threw their trash away and began their trudge to their classes. The conversation playing on all four minds.


	8. Chapter 8

1The week went by without problem. The boys attended all their classes and after school soccer practice without incident. It seemed as if Snape had lost interest in them but they still took their friends advice and spoke with Franklin Rothschild concerning their situation. But their normalcy wouldn't last.

"Where's Mrs. Launders?" Harry asked after finding his seat and sitting down. Mrs. Launders was their English teacher.

Ron shrugged and sat down in the seat beside his friend. "Who cares?" He didn't care for the English teachers and he wasn't alone. Half the student body hated Mrs. Launders. She was mean, crude, unfair and always cranky. There wasn't a day that didn't go by that Ron and/or Harry managed to tick her off by doing the littlest thing. Sometimes it was intentional but most of the time, it wasn't. "I hope we get Bob." He blew a bubble with his gum and cracked it loudly.

Harry smirked and shook his head. "Bob isn't around anymore, remember? Some Freshman got him fired last year. Told her parents that he wasn't teaching the appropriate material for the class. So the school canned him. Pity, he was a great guy." Bob was a substitute teacher that everyone loved. He was nice, funny, easy to get along with and never raised his voice. He didn't need to. Everyone paid attention when he was teaching and never gave him a reason to scream or shout. "I don't recognize the teacher, do you?" He motioned with his head towards the man that just entered the room.

Blinking, Ron turned his attention to the front of the room and stopped chewing his gum. He was quiet for a moment as he eyed the man. He wasn't much to look at it. Thin, sickly looking with sandy brown hair that was streaked with gray. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a red sweat shirt that had a faded logo on the front that couldn't be made out. "I haven't seen him before."

Staring, Harry watched the man write his name on the black board and a made a face when the chalk screeched. He seemed familiar but Harry was certain that he never saw him before in his life."Lupin? What kinda name is that?" He mumbled after reading the shaky letters on the board. The man looked nice enough. He had a kind face and the lightest blue eyes that Harry had ever seen. He looked away only when the object of his attention locked eyes with him.

"He can't be any worse than Mrs. Launders or even Snape." Ron added and resumed his bubble blowing. "Maybe he's French or something? They have funny names."

"Ya, maybe." Harry looked down at his notebook and sighed. He wanted all his regular teachers back. He wanted everything to go back the way they were before Snape suddenly appeared and screwed everything up. Now, both he and Ron, had to be on constant guard. Suddenly, he felt very tired.

Ron eyed his friend with a frown. Harry seemed depressed lately. He barely laughed anymore. It just wasn't fair. Harry told him all about the Dursley's and the way they treated him. Now, the same people that placed him with those monsters, were back in their lives. Snape may have backed off but he was still teaching Physics and it didn't seem like he was leaving anytime soon. Why couldn't they be left alone? They weren't hurting anybody. And for the past five years they did a pretty good job staying alive. They worked hard and now their hard work was being threatened. Now there was a black cloud hanging over them. Suddenly the gum in his mouth took on a bitter taste and he was forced to spit it out. He took it and stuck it on the bottom side of the desk. He then turned his attention back to the front of the room where Mr. Lupin was already beginning their lesson. With a sigh, he slipped off into a daydream.


	9. Chapter 9

"I fear that I will not be able to accomplish anything, Professor." Remus sat opposite of his former Headmaster, looking rather grim. He hadn't touched the cup of tea that he had, just moments before, accepted.

"Albus, Remus. You haven't attended Hogwarts for a number of years." The old man smiled, kindly. "Why do you think that?"

"Both of the boys avoid me, Pro...Albus. I've tried to speak with them alone but when I ask them to stay after class they never do. They, instead, accept their punishment for not staying. They're very suspicious of me." Remus stared down at his tea cup.

Dumbledore watched the younger man sitting across from him. "They are very...suspicious because, and I dare say that it was my fault, of a mistake that we made. We revealed ourselves too soon. Severus, apparently, made an impression on the boys during their first year at Hogwarts and they recognized him right away. And us showing up at their house...It didn't go over as we had planned"

"Why wasn't I contacted sooner? I thought I told you that I wanted informed if Harry was found? Why wait this long? James was my best friend and I swore to him and Lily that I would help look after Harry if anything ever happened to them." Lupin never looked up from the tea cup. "I failed them."

"We should have called you, again a mistake on my part. We never thought that Harry or Ron would recognize Severus, at least not so quickly. We were just so relieved to have finally located them that we left our relief cloud our judgement." Albus took a sip of his cooled tea. "You did not fail your friends, Remus. There was nothing you could have done to prevent Lily and James premature deaths and the Ministry would have never granted you custody of young Harry. You did all you could by helping us clear Sirius."

"Has Molly and Arthur been informed that their youngest son has been found?" Remus finally looked up at the old Headmaster. He changed the subject not wanting to talk about the two deceased Potters.

"Yes. Both Molly and Arthur have been informed that Ron has been found. The location has been withheld from them, though. I didn't want them doing anything rash." Dumbledore settled back in the chair and stared into the fireplace, watching the flames. "They are waiting anxiously for news on young Ronald."

Remus sighed. "He's nothing like James." He mumbled. "When he was a baby I would have sworn on my wand that he would have grown up to be like his father. But now... He reminds me more of Lily." He shook his head and again changed the subject. "Sirius is going batty waiting for news on Harry. I had to threaten to hex him to keep him from coming with me."

Dumbledore smiled. "I would not expect anything less from Sirius. I remember the day that Lily and James announced him as young Harry's godfather. I don't think I had ever seen him so happy before."

Remus let a small smile appear on his lips, remembering that day as well. "Yes." He said quietly. "I think that was the day that he finally decided to grow up.

Albus looked at the younger man currently sitting across from him. "All you can do is keep trying, my boy. Is there anything that you need to continue this assignment?" He asked, seriously.

After a few minutes of silence, Remus answered. "Yes, send Snape back to Hogwarts. The boys aren't going to let their guards down with him still around." He said, bitterly. His dislike for Snape was just as strong as it was during his days at Hogwarts. "He's just making matters worse by being here."

"I do believe that you are correct, Remus. Harry and Ron have a clear dislike for Severus." Dumbledore ignored the snort that came from Remus. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that Jamie and Will were truly Harry and Ron. "I will inform Severus that he may excuse himself from this assignment for the time being." With that, he got up and disappeared out the door. Leaving Remus alone with his thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10

"Pass. Pass. Pass." Harry chanted under his breath from his place on the bench. His eyes were focused on the soccer match still being played. The only time he looked away was when the assistant coach wrapped the bandage around his ankle too tight. Not only did the man have his full attention at that point but he also received a hissed "bastard" from Harry. After making sure the man received the full extent of his glare, he turned his attention back to the game. "COME ON!" He shouted as he saw his team mates, Ron in particular, heading towards the goal. "YES!" He jumped up, knocking the man tending to his foot onto his arse in the dirt, after they scored the goal. The pain was easily ignored for the first three seconds then it overwhelmed him and forced him to sit once again, his foot pulsating angerly. "Are you finished yet?" He received a glare and a curt nod as the man moved away from him. "Good riddance." Now he could pout in peace. He wanted to be in the game but instead he was laid up on the bench with a sprained ankle. But his pouting didn't last long since his team scored again and again he was on his feet cheering.

Ron could feel the sweat running down the back of his neck. His hair was already plastered to his head and his jersey was sweat soaked. Swallowing, he chanced a glance towards the bench where his friend had been carried to. He smiled seeing that Harry was cheering them on. He gave his friend a thumbs up before intercepting a pass meant for the other team and taking it clear down to their goal where he scored. The heat and sweat were soon forgotten as he jogged down the field, covering one of his team mates and waiting for the pass. He stopped it with his head and bounced it off his knee and into the goal. He could hear the cheering of the crowd and it made him smile even more. Yes, Ron had found something he was very good at. His skills at soccer were just as, if not slightly better than Harry's. Before he knew it, the game was over and they had won. He felt himself being hoisted up onto his teammates shoulders and was surprised to see Harry up there with him. He gave his friend a high five and pumped his arm in the air.

Neither boy had a care in the world at that moment. And they both lost themselves in the feeling of victory. Something that they had worked, very hard, towards. Now those long practices didn't seem so unbearable.

Harry felt great as he limped out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist. His foot was now only throbbing dully and he knew that tomorrow it would be unbearable but he didn't care. He smiled at the other boys in the locker room. He was proud of them. They worked hard during practices and deserved this win. Being Captain and benched due to injury half way through the game would embarrass most boys but not Harry. This only proved that his team was good even without his help. "You all were bloody brilliant out there!" He praised them and turned his full attention to getting dressed. Once dressed, Harry looked around. He frowned noticing that Ron hadn't exited the shower area yet, his locker was hanging open with clothes still inside. "Ron?" He limped towards the showers and listened. Silence greeted him. "Ron?" He called again, a little bit louder. Glancing behind him, he noticed that his teammates had already left. Sighing, he turned his attention back towards the showers. "This isn't funny Ron." He mumbled as he limped further into the shower room. Harry squinted through the dense steam that was hanging in the air. "Ron?" He caught sight of a hint of red in front of him and to the right and moved towards it.

Ron left out a moan. His whole body felt like it was on fire. He didn't understand what was going on. One minute he was showering and joking with his buddies and the next he was waking up on the damp shower floor. There was a faint murmur off in the distance that soon turned into someone calling his name. It took a few seconds for him to realize who it was. "Harry?" He croaked out just above a whisper. It hurt all over; even his hair was aching. Another spasm of pain shout through his body and his mouth twisted in pain. "HARRY!" He screamed just before darkness consumed him.

It took Harry a few minutes to reach Ron. "Ron..." He whispered and dropped to his knees, ignoring the pain in his ankle. "Ron, can you hear me?" He checked his friend over. "You're burning up." He mumbled, feeling the heat rolling off his friend. "HELP!" He yelled out, hoping that Coach Grayson hadn't left yet. When he heard running, he knew that he hadn't. "Hang on, Ron. Please hang on."


	11. Chapter 11

Harry paced back and forth in front of the large observation windows. Sunset was more than five hours ago and there was still no word on Ron's condition. With each step, Harry was growing more and more agitated not to mention worried. Sighing, the boy stopped and leaned his forehead against the cool glass. His eyes gazed, unseeing, out into the inky blackness of the night. The night seemed to reflect his mood. There were no stars lighting up the sky and even the moon was absent. Despair. The night reflected the despair that Harry was feeling. Ron was ill and there wasn't anything he could do about it. Blinking, he slide into the nearest chair. Lucky for him that the waiting room of the ER was almost completely empty at this time of night.

Doctor Roberts checked and rechecked the young, unconscious, man in front of her. She still couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Ever since he was brought in by ambulance, she had test after test ran on him. And each one came back negative. Everything pointed towards the boy being healthy and perfectly fine. But that was obviously not the case. There was something terribly wrong with Mr., she stopped to glance at the clip board in her hands, Westinghouse. William Westinghouse. She glanced back at the prone form on the bed and sighed. It was now time to face his family with the bad news. Bracing herself for the worst possible reaction, she slid the clip board back into the slot on the door and exited heading for the waiting room.

He rubbed his tired eyes. The contacts were bothering him again and he soon found himself wishing he had his spare pair of glasses with him. Harry leaned back in the chair and let his eyes wonder around the waiting room. There wasn't much to look at. A few tables were scattered around with either a lamp or piles of magazines on them. A TV was suspended from the ceiling and from what he could make out from the low mumbles coming from it, it was tuned into one of the many late night talk shows. A pop and snack machine sat side by side on the wall opposite the TV along with several payphones. It was, literally, an area where you didn't want to spend too much time.

Doctor Charline Roberts observed the lone occupant of the waiting room for several minutes. He looked about the same age as her patient so she was guessing that this was the boy that had rode in on the ambulance with young William. She cleared her throat to get his attention. "I take it that you are here with young Mr. Westinghouse?"

Harry jumped up off the chair and spun around to face the voice. He let out a sigh of relief seeing that it was a Doctor. "Yes, Ma'am." He replied softly and shoved his hands into his pockets. "How is he doing?"

"Before I can release any information about my patient, I must know your relationship to him." The Doctor said.

He nodded. "I'm his..." Harry hesitated a moment. "Ron and I are foster brothers." His relationship with Ron was complicated so he had to think of the easiest reply. He removed one hand from his pocket and held it out. "I'm James Patton. You can call me Jamie or Harry." He tried to smile but failed.

A thin eyebrow raised in question. Doctor Roberts clasped the offered hand for a moment then left it go. "Ron?" She had figured this was a nickname so her question was more out of curiosity than anything else.

Harry blinked. "Will's middle name is Ronald. I've called him Ron for as long as I've known him." It was his turn to clear his throat. "Is he going to be alright?" Both his hands were back in his pockets.

Doctor Roberts let out a small sigh. "I've ran every single test that I can think of and I can't find anything wrong with your brother. Everything checks out and by all standards he's healthy. I can't find any reason why he's in the state that he's in. All we can do for him now is keep him comfortable until he wakes up."

"How can there be nothing wrong with him! This isn't something normal for him. It's not like every couple of months he decides to put himself into a coma, or whatever the bloody hell wrong with him, just for shits and giggles. He was on the shower floor in pain. Are you telling me that's normal behavior of someone _healthy_? To say that Harry was angry would be an understatement. He was royally and totally pissed off.

"Please Mr. Patton, we have done all that we can do at the present time." Charline was shocked at how fiercely the boy had reacted to the news of his foster brother condition.

"Can I see him?" Harry asked once he got his temper under control.

"I would wait until morning. Go home and get some sleep. Visiting hours begin at seven in the morning. There's nothing more that can be done tonight." Doctor Roberts turned and walked back through the ER doors leaving a silently seething Harry behind.

"Is she crazy?" Harry mumbled to himself. He wasn't going home while his friend, nay, his brother lay unconscious in a hospital bed. So with a resigned sigh, he plopped back into his previously vacated chair and prepared himself for a long, uncomfortable, sleepless night.


	12. Chapter 12

Dawn broke and Ron's condition still hadn't changed. He was still pale and unconscious. The nurses had been instructed to keep their visits short so the boy wouldn't be bothered. So when Nurse Edwards checked his vitals during the night, she didn't daudle. And in doing so, she never noticed his body twitch and jerk as if in excruciating pain. The small whimpers coming from his mouth were also missed. So his chart was marked _resting comfortably_ each and every time he was checked upon.

Meanwhile, Harry had a horrible night. The chair was hard and uncomfortable. He awoke several times from back and neck pain. So when the first rays of light washed over his slumbering form, it went unnoticed. The first rays of dawn were not strong enough to rouse the exhausted youth. Harry awoke several hours after sunrise to find that he was no longer alone.

The waiting room was practically spilling over with people waiting to see a doctor or loved ones. A frown began to form on his pale face and he rubbed his blood shot eyes in irritation. The lack of a good nights sleep had obviously left him in a very grumpy state of mind. So with a groan, he forced his protesting body from the chair and headed towards the exit. Harry glanced at his watch, barely making out the time, which happened to be 7:25AM. He then squinted from the sunlight as the doors opened to the outside. A cell phone was in his hand as he reached a pair of outside benches. Sitting down, he dialed Doc's familiar number and waited for his guardian to answer the phone. After only two short rings he was greeted by Doc's deep southern accented voice. "Hey Doc. No, this isn't a social call." He chuckled lightly. "We aren't in prison either." He sobered. "I meant to call you last night but things got..." Harry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's Will, Doc. He's in the hospital and the doctors don't know what's wrong with him..." He trailed off as a sob slipped passed his lips. "Yes, I can handle things until you get here. I know you do, Doc. I love you too." He whispered as he heard the dial tone. He slipped the phone back into the pocket of his wrinkled jeans and just leaned back on the bench, running a tired and slightly shaking hand though his dirty blonde hair. In the back of his mind he couldn't silence that little voice that always told him that they couldn't stay cut off from the magical world forever. Today was the first time that he actually believed it.

**London, England**

**The Landmark Hotel**

**12:32PM**

Rangle "Doc" Blair stared at the phone in his hand. He had been in the middle of lunch when he received the call from his youngest son, Jamie. Something had apparently happened to Will, his oldest son, and by the sound of Jamie's voice it wasn't good. The sob made him worry even more. The youngest of his two foster children very rarely lost control of his emotions and when he did, it was for good reason. He glanced around his hotel suite, he had retreated there once the call had ended, trying to gather his bearings. Clients be damned, his children needed him. Soon a suit case stood open on the king sized bed, clothes were being flung into it left and right. Once he was sure he got everything, Doc snapped it shut. With a wave of, what appeared to be a stick, and a muttering of words under his breath, the suitcase shrunk until it was small enough for him to slip into his pocket.(Bet you didn't see that coming!) Without a backward glance, he strode purposely out of the hotel and caught the first taxi to the airport.

**Back in the States**

After his call to their guardian, Harry had stopped in to check on Ron. Nothing had changed from the night before. "Come on Ron. You've got to get better. We've been through so much. You're the only family I have left." He had whispered in agony before leaving his friend/brothers room and then the hospital. Doc had swore to him that he'd leave on the first possible flight so being slightly reassured, Harry found it possible for him to leave long enough to catch a quick shower and change before returning.


	13. Chapter 13

Upon arriving home, he had called a cab, Harry went straight to the bathroom to wash away the dirt and grime from the previous day. After a nice hot shower, which lasted more then fifteen minutes, he felt refreshed. He padded out of the bathroom, drying his hair, and towards the living room. He eyed the blinking answering machine and, after dropping the towel onto the couch, pressed the play button.

_You have seven messages_, the answering machine droned before continuing.

The first message was from Mich Rothschild wanting to know what had happened after yesterdays game.

The second message was from Frankie, Mich's sister, who was clearly upset. She also wanted to know what happened and even threatened bodily harm if noone called her back.

Messages three, four and five were from fellow teammates, those brave enough to call and inquire as to what was going on, which were promptly erased.

The last two were the most recent and both were from Doc saying that his plane was being delayed do to severe storms.

_End of messages_, the answering machine fell silent after all messages were played.

Harry sighed and sat down on the edge of the couch. He felt drained and not just physically. But mentally as well. This was the first time that something really bad had happened to him or Ron in a very long time. The last time being at the end of their first year at Hogwarts. _Hogwarts_, the name seemed to echo in his mind. Frowning, he shook his head. Now was not the time to be thinking of the past. Now was the time to be clearly focused on the present and hopefully the future. With a new found sense of determination, Harry hauled himself to his feet and, after finding a clean pair of shoes, left the apartment that he shared with Ron. By the time he reached the curb, he was placing his cell phone back into his jeans pocket, a call to the cab company had been made and one had been dispatched to his location

The cab ride back to the hospital was silent. The driver, sensing his young patrons mood, choose not to say anything. He even refrained from looking at the young man up until they arrived at the hospital. Only then did Tyrese look at the young man to request payment for the journey; which he received promptly and with a big tip. When he sped away, he never looked back.

He limped through the lobby and passed the receptionists desk, the woman behind the desk with blue hair didn't even look up. Harry pressed the up button once he reached the elevator and stepped inside once the door to his right opened. He then pressed the button for the third floor and just as the door was closing, the woman behind the desk looked up and winked at him. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out if he knew the woman from somewhere or if, maybe, he had imagined the wink. Shaking his head, he stepped out of the elevator, once it reached the correct floor, and stopped, looking around. This floor was still new to him since he had only been allowed to see Ron when he was still down in the ER early this morning. A nurse had stopped him when he was leaving Ron's room and told him that Ron was being moved to the third floor. Spying a nurses station he moved towards it. "Excuse me." He said politely to the middle aged black woman sitting behind the desk looking over several charts.

Emma May looked up and smiled. "Can I help you, sugar?" She also kept her voice polite but also very warm and inviting.

Harry smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm looking for the room of William Westinghouse. He was being transferred from the ER this morning or so I was told."

The plump nurse tore her eyes from the polite young man and scanned her patient room assignment sheet. Her eyes stopped once she found the desired name and looked back up. "It says here that he is restricted to visits from family only." She eyed the boy with a calculating gaze. "Are you family?" She asked, finally, her smile gone.

"Yes, ma'am." Harry's smile never faulted or faded in the least. "I'm his brother, James Patton" He saw the skeptical look she was giving him so he added. "We're foster brothers."

She had seen young William when he was brought up so at first she didn't believe the young man, James. But she could see the truth in his eyes. Her smile returned. "I was a foster mother back when I was young enough to chase around the youngins. My husband and I adopted two of them. They might not have been related by blood but both of our boys didn't care. They were brothers through and through. It's refreshing to see that kind of bond still remains even with all the problems in todays _system_." Emma glanced down at the sheet again. "He's in room 326. It's down the hall, last door on the right." She pointed down the hallway off to his left.

Harry chuckled. This woman reminded him of Mrs.Weasley. "Thank you, ma'am." For once in his life he silently thanked the Dursleys for something. He thanked them for the manners that they had forced into him at a young age because he still used them, even today. He turned and started down the hallway. When he was halfway down, he heard at voice call from the nurses station. _"Call me Emma May. Ma'am really makes me feel old."_ Again he chuckled and shook his head. Most muggles were really nice if you knew how to approach them and fortunately for Harry, he knew how. Seeing 326 on the wall, he turned into the room and approached the single bed that sat in the middle of the room. He watched his friend and brother for a moment before pulling over a chair and sitting down. "Hiya Ron. I'm sorry I left but I was beginning to smell. A shower fixed me right up." He sighed. "Doc's coming home. I called him in England and he's coming. His plane was delayed a bit but I expect him here in a few hours. He'll know what to do." He was silent for a moment. " I'm at a loss here. I'm beginning to wonder if...if _they _could help you." He spoke in a whisper. "If the doctors here can't help you..." He trailed off and stared out the window. _Hogwarts_ was again echoing in his mind followed by _his only hope_.


End file.
